Karen Byrne, the assistant women's basketball coach, said she runs into trouble unless practices are at 5 a.m. and spaces are available.

During the first week of school, parking was so tight that some students parked on the soccer field, angering the soccer coach.

"There's just too many students," Byrne said. "The dorms are overpopulated. The parking lots are overpopulated."

University spokesman John Morgan said the university is looking for ways to better accommodate students who need to park on campus.

Quinnipiac has grown rapidly from a small, rural college to a university, complete with graduate programs, a law school and many more undergraduate offerings.

Enrollment has grown from 1,900 undergraduates in 1987 to 4,100 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate or part-time students this year. The freshman class has grown by almost 200 students this year.

Like many other schools in Connecticut, Quinnipiac also has a housing shortage this fall.

Quinnipiac offered students $1,000 to live off campus this year. Sacred Heart University in Fairfield put up some students in efficiency-style apartments in Shelton.

The University of Connecticut, faced with a waiting list for housing, took out ads in local newspapers asking residents to consider renting spare rooms to students.

Students who are living in single-family homes around Hamden have clashed with neighbors over noise and parties, said town planner Roger O'Brien.

"They need to reassess. What is their growth strategy? Do they expect to grow? If they do, they need to have a realistic plan," O'Brien said.

In the meantime, students such as Stacey DeRosa will be left to fend for themselves. DeRosa, a law student, said she circles the parking lots and follows students in hopes someone is giving up a parking space.